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December 2017

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The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF), Oman, has started to restore the local cotton variety farming in Oman and aims to cultivate up to 120 acres of land in the next few years, Muscatdaily.com reported.

The revival project started in 2013, when MoAF managed to farm 3150 square metres of land. The project is also important as it ensures protection of genetic resources of local plants.

The project is funded by Agricultural and Fisheries Development Fund. The ministry has also collaborated with the Public Authority for Craft Industries (PACI) to revive cultivation of the local cotton variety to supply raw material to local textile firms.

Ali al Abri, project head and director of the Department of Agricultural Affairs in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Livestock, Dakhliyah said that around three tonnes of cotton is expected to be produced under the revival initiative.

Abri said that the domestic variety was almost extinct because cultivation had been abandoned for a long time.

Farmers stopped planting cotton due to lack of demand and low prices due to increase in competition from imported products. They went on to cultivate other crops to meet the market demands, he said.

Abri added that cotton plantation gives good returns and economies of many nations on a large extent depend on cotton cultivation. He further said that the project aims at diversifying the sources of income of farmers and provide raw material to processing plants.

With cooperation of PACI, the project aims not only to encourage artisans to use local cotton and enhance the value of locally produced goods, but also revive the fledgling textile industry, he added. (GK)